Health, Safety, and Sanitation in Child Care Homes { Child Care Answers Child and Adult Care Food Program
1. Cleaning and Sanitizing 2. Handwashing in Child Care 3. Proper food handling and storage 4. Health and safety checklist overview Training Agenda
Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting
Cleaning and Sanitizing: What s the difference and how are they done? Sometimes in child care the terms cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting are used interchangeably. These terms all mean very different things and involve distinctly different solutions. Child care providers need to know the differences to apply the appropriate technique for the circumstance. Cleaning and sanitizing cannot be done at the same time. Best practice in child care is to Clean, Rinse, then Sanitize to reduce the spread of diarrhea and other communicable illnesses.
{ { Cleaning Clean means to make a dish or surface free from visible food, crumbs, or dirt. A surface must be clean before it can be sanitized. Solution and Technique Scrubbing, washing and rinsing to remove visible soil and debris using detergent and water.
{ { Sanitizing Sanitizing means to kill harmful germs with either high heat or a chemical solution Solution and Technique Cover the cleaned area with a sanitizing solution such as bleach and water. The best practice is to leave on 2 minutes before wiping dry. For most surfaces in a child care setting the bleach/water solution is 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water. This should be made fresh daily.
{ { Disenfecting Disinfecting means to wipe hard surfaces, such as counters or tables, clean and then wipe with a disinfecting solution, which is stronger than a sanitizing solution. This kills all the germs on a surface. This practice is generally used for bodily spills. Technique and Solution Clean the surface area first, next apply the disinfection solution for a minimum of 2 minutes and either allow to air dry or wipe dry with a paper towel. OSHA recommends the bleach solution be ¼-1 ½ cups bleach to 1 gallon of water.
1. Assign responsibility for mixing the bleach solution to a staff member 2. Set up a specific location for mixing the bleach solution 3. Keep the bleach out of direct sunlight to preserve the effectiveness of the chlorine. 4. Mix a fresh bleach solution daily 5. Use caution when mixing bleach solution. If bleach is mixed with other cleaners or chemicals hazardous gases may be released 6. Label the sanitizing solution with a B for bleach Review the bleach solution sheet in the packet Bleach solution tips
The following steps should be followed before and after each meal served for the CACFP program: 1. Clean the table with warm soapy water. 2. Rinse with warm water 3. Dry with paper towel 4. Spray the table with the bleach solution and allow to sit at least two minutes **Tables should be sanitized with paper towels. Should you chose to use a cloth towel it may only be used one time before it needs to be washed. Meal Service For CACFP
Hand washing in Child Care {
1. Children should wash their hands before and after each meal and go directly to the sanitized table. 2. There are other times and guidelines for hand washing in child care (Reference Hand washing 101 in packet) 3. Infants must have their hands cleaned prior to the meal service as well. (Reference infant hand washing in packet) 4. Creating a routine before and after the meal will help children get used to washing their hands.
Complete the When Do We Need to Wash Our Hands Activity with your children (Activity is in packet)
Food Handling and Storage { A brief overview
Safe Food Handling Tips -Start with clean, wholesome food from reliable sources. Wash all raw fruits and vegetables before using. -Hold frozen food at 0 F or lower during delivery and storage. -Scrub and sanitize all cutting boards, knives, and electric slicers immediately after contact with raw or cooked meats, fish, or poultry. -Hold all potentially hazardous foods out of the danger zone, 40-140 F. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. -Reach an internal temperature of 165 to 170 F for foods to be held for serving. Maintain a minimum temperature of 140 F during the serving period. -Never serve questionable food. If in doubt throw it out. -Avoid cross-contamination of foods during preparation, storage, and service. -Wash hands with soap and water. Hands must be washed when reporting to work, after handling raw poultry and meat, smoking, sneezing, and use of handkerchief, and after using the toilet. -Keep all work surfaces clean and organized. -Keep the work area clean and all spills wiped up immediately. -Refrigerate promptly all unused foods. -Use clean equipment in preparing, cooking, and serving food. -Avoid touching food as much as possible. Use the proper utensils. -Handle all utensils and serving equipment by handles and bases to avoid touching areas that will later come in contact with the food. -Use a clean spoon to taste food. -Keep fingernails trimmed and clean. Scrub nails with a nail brush after a visit to the toilet and after handling raw meat, poultry, and fish. -Keep hair clean and use a hairnet or other restraint.
1. Make sure your refrigerator is clean from any spills and all food is properly stored and covered. 2. Providers should have thermometers in both the fridge and freezer. The freezer should read below 0 F and the fridge should be under 40 F. 3. If you need thermometers please contact your monitor. 4. We have seen several providers with expired milk. While there is no specific CACFP regulation on this please be mindful of the expiration dates on the food you are serving. Some Reminders from your Monitors
Health and Safety List { Tools you can you use to access your child care
The health and safety checklist is set up to cover six different licensing standards: hand washing, sleep practices, diapering, mealtime, indoor environment, and outdoor environment. Each standard is then given an assessment method of how the standard should be met and then rated as met, not met, or n/o. The checklist is primarily used by your PTQ mentor, rater, or a quality advisor but it is a great tool to self assess yourself. What is the Health and Safety Checklist